Fallen
by Attempting Writing
Summary: *DISCONTINUED* Who are you? He was the one who stopped her from falling into oblivion. NaminexRoxas
1. Hospital

**Mes**: Another story that I'm building up on a story plot, I'm trying to take a leap past my writer's block and try to write a story with chapters….OMG, the world is going to end!!! Anyways, this is a Namine x Roxas story because I adore the couple. I've dedicated this story to my friend Wenxiao from school because she seemed very interested in the story plot. I've already decided it's going to have a sad ending, but an alternate ending included. So don't fret! And-

**Roxas**: This is taking way too long! –pushes Mes out of the way- Mes doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or anything related. She barely owns her own sanity. Now start typing!

* * *

.:;_**Fallen**_;:. 

_Everything was distorted. Standing on an unknown building, she stared down into an endless abyss of clouds. Replacing the sky above, hanging ominously was a mutated city filled with twisted skyscrapers with no people. Something in her mind was screaming at her to jump, to end a troubled aching in her chest. Unsteadily placing her feet at the edge, willing to silence the voices with one more step, she felt a firm grip on her wrist. Obeying its lead, it slowly pulled her away from the edge. Turning around, all she could see were deep ocean blue eyes, staring at her with concern._

_Who are you?_

"-ine, Namine?"

A quiet voice whispered in her ear while a hand rubbed her back to awaken her. She stared into her father's dull green eyes as she yawned her sleepiness away. After a long car ride, they had finally arrived to a recognizable hospital. The same hospital her mother was now in after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure a year ago.

Wandering the deserted halls, they finally found the room. Room 213. It was a smaller room compared to the others. Grey shades were drawn over the large window, darkening the plain room a bit. In the middle of the room was a large bed, surrounded by a small wooden table, heart monitors, HIV racks, and other odd machinery. Walking over to the bed, Namine observed her sleeping mother. Despite her swollen neck and arms, she looked peaceful with her light blonde hair strewn against the pillows and her pale skin. Often Namine would get comments of her looking so similar to her mother, almost like a younger version. They even had the same sky blue eyes. Barely a trace of her father was seen in her.

Noticing the doctor enter the room shortly after them, Namine's father went over to check in on the status of his wife. Kneeling on the floor, Namine picked up a small version of a family photo off the wooden desk as she rested her head on the soft bed. The sweet scent of the peach tulips in the glass vase on the desk filled her senses. Whispers of "more gasping at night", "rising blood fluid in the lungs", and "increasing weakness" graced her ears. Her mother's condition was getting worse and soon the disease might take her away. Squeezing her eyes shut from imagining the unbearable future, she felt tears forming in her eyes. She never wanted to lose her mother. The idea wounded her deeply, even though they all knew it would be truth.

Not wanting to show her distress, Namine left the room shakily, avoiding her father's glance. Searching the halls, she collapsed into a hard chair as she wiped away a lone tear that trickled down her cheek. She longed for everything to go back to the way it was before. She wanted her mother to be smiling happily at her from the car as she was dropped off at school. She yearned for her mother's warm hugs when she arrived home. She wished for the excited compliments towards her newest drawing to be heard. But, everything was taken away with that one heart attack.

&&&

It was another tiring Monday for Namine while she was at school. She had been accidentally caught doodling on her worksheets in English, zoned out in Math class, and called to the board several times in Science. Thankfully it was lunch time, and all the students stormed the cafeteria quickly. With an absent mind, Namine wandered around the lunch room with a lunch bag in hand, searching for her friends.

"Hey Namine! Over here!" Kairi waved as she caught her best friend's attention. Finding a seat between Olette and Kairi, Selphie casually leaned over towards her.

"Namine, did you see Tidus in Science today?" Selphie grinned. Namine gazed at the brunette and slowly nodded her head. "Oh my gawd, didn't he look totally hot?!" Namine, Kairi, Olette, and Pence all stared unbelievingly at the boy-crazed girl. Selphie cocked her head to the side and looked at her four friends. "What?"

Namine continued to stare at Selphie, wondering what to think of her friend. Olette giggled slightly while Kairi wagged a finger at the girl. "Selphie, you really need to learn. Tidus already has a girlfriend", she sighed.

"Yeah, isn't her name Yuna? I think I accidentally took a picture of them kissing at the last dance…" Pence wondered as he picked up his treasured camera.

"Boy troubles again?" Sora grinned as he plopped down beside Kairi with two food trays. Passing a food tray to Kairi, she returned a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Geez, Kairi. Not at the table" Hayner grumbled as he sat next to Pence. "Just because you two are girlfriend and boyfriend now, doesn't mean you have to be doing that kind of stuff in front of your friends." He mumbled as he passed two of the three trays he was holding to Olette and Selphie.

"Oh, you're just jealous" Kairi smirked evilly. Pence rummaged through his brown bagged lunch as he watched the two glare at each other. Namine knew it was all play, just normal.

"Now, now you two" Olette sighed, trying to bring peace to the group.

After resolving the little play fight, they gang quickly gossiped about new rumors. "I heard there's a new kid coming to the school…" Olette stated. Namine had heard the rumors too and leaned in to hear the details. Everyone wondered where the new student was coming from, what his name was, and what classes he would have. But, the boy-crazed friend of the group had a different thing on her mind…

"I wonder if he's hot…" Selphie smiled dreamily as she stared at Riku, a popular student with charming good looks.

"Selphie!!!" Everyone replied at once.

"What?"

* * *

**Mes**: Yay! Finally down with chapter one! –falls over- Roxas won't be in the story until around...I don't know...chapter 3?

**Roxas**: What?! -storms off-

**Mes**:-sweat drop- Uhhh, sorry if the characters seem to be out of character. Anyways, please review! I'd love to see all of your opinions on it! But, please, no flames. –hides in cardboard box-


	2. Gone

Mes: Hi again! Here for chapter 2, aye? My thanks to you all for reading this. The chapters might seem short, and I'm really sorry for that. I'm not very good at writing a lot. When you read, please, please, please review. I can't stress that enough. I really want people's opinion. Anyways, read and enjoy.

* * *

_Fallen_

It was an early morning that had begun with another dull math class. The teacher drawled on and on, scribbling incoherent numbers and equations on the board. Namine could feel her attention slipping with every word. On a scrap piece of paper, she sketched with ease a neighboring tree beyond the glass windows as she sighed inwardly. Through monotony, she began to brush the wrinkles out of her plain white dress. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Selphie and Olette exchanging notes in boredom. Most likely Selphie's one sided conversation of cute boys while getting tips on the homework. Everything seemed normal, but a dark feeling crept over Namine. Why was she worried? She had nothing to fear, knowing the current math problems well enough, except—

"Sorry to disturb you, but is Namine here?"

The school's elderly principal stepped inside the class room. The math teacher turned to acknowledge his presence while students gazed at Namine in curiosity. Even Olette and Selphie peered up at their friend in mid note passing with concern. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?

Namine rose shakily from her desk, sensing all eyes on her. "Y-Yes?"

"Please, come this way…It's urgent" the principle replied softly, pointing his hand at the door.

_It can't… be happening._

Namine walked down the aisles to the doorway with unease. Drifting stares watched her every move as hushed murmurs began to float in the air. Outside the room, the principal scratched his graying hair with his eyes lowered as if in deep thought. Approaching him, the older man looked up and gazed at her. Worry lines creased his forehead in an odd manner.

"Namine…We just received word from the hospital. Your-…Your mother has just passed away. Your father is already at the hospital and has asked for you to come…"

Namine's eyes widened in fear. She always knew a day like this would come, but it was different. Like her world had just been torn apart.

She could feel her face pale, as she lifted her faltering hands to stare at them. Slowly covering her face, warm tears formed at her eyes. She had no control anymore. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed onto her legs on the floor.

"…No…"She whispered to herself. "No…nooo….NO!" her voice growing with emotions until she was finally crying into her hands.

"Namine!!!" both of her friends yelled as they dashed over to her side. Kneeling, Olette wrapped her arms around Namine's now shaking shoulders while Selphie rubbed her back.

"She's gone! She's dead…" Namine whimpered as her friends tried to comfort her.

&&&

Finally calming the distraught girl enough, Namine was sent to the same hospital. Before going, she requested Kairi to come with her for support. Lips quivering, she walked the lone halls of the clinic with Kairi, staring at the floor the whole way. Not wanting to disturb Namine anymore with questions of her mother, she let the blonde hold onto her hand for comfort. It was a silent journey, but they finally reached their destination. Room 213. She would never come to this room again after today.

The curtains had been thrown open, casting light onto her mother's pale face and light blond hair. Even in death, she was beautiful and peaceful looking. The tulips beside her bed had wilted, as if to make the event even gloomier. She saw the figure of her father kneeling beside the bed, his shoulders shifting to silent sobs. She had never seen her father cry in her life. He held the back of her mother's to his face, his green eyes shut in grief. His teeth showed as he gnashed them together. Rushing over to the other side of the bed, Namine lifted the cold hand that rested on the bed into her warm ones. Just like her dad, she pressed her face against her mother's hand.

She never got to say good-bye.

&&&

The closed mahogany coffin was situated in the middle of the church, surrounded by assorted flowers. Everyone who knew the grieving family joined together, sharing memories of Namine's mother. Always happy, blissful memories. Everyone knew her mother as a kind and gentle women who made anyone smile with excited comments and humor. It was the end of the ceremony, and the last of the people lined up to place a flower on the coffin. All of her friends had come to support her and to say their farewells.

Selphie, Hayner, Pence, and Olette all gave sad smiles and bowed as they rested their dark pink roses on the coffin. Sora had an arm around Kairi as she tearfully dropped both of their dark pink roses onto the pile. They all had appreciated her mother deeply. Namine's father stepped forward, placing a single red rose on the coffin as he whispered "I love you". Finally, it was her turn. She gently placed a bouquet of peach colored tulips beside the red rose. Her face began to twist up into an odd mix of a smile and frown. Tears again slid down her cheeks as she whispered to the coffin.

"I know how much you loved these tulips…good-bye, Mom. I'll miss you…so much."

* * *

Mes: So, that was the end of Chapter 2. I'm really trying hard to make this a tragic story. I curse myself for spelling/grammar errors, if there are any. Sorry if I made Namine cry too much. I thought it was kind of appropriate since her mother died. I'd be pretty broken up too. On a happier note: Roxas is appearing in the next chapter.

Roxas: Finally. -.-

Mes: Anyways, please review! Please!!! Also, no flames…please? –hides in cardboard box-


	3. Meeting

Mes: 'Ello again! I'm actually having fun writing this fanfiction 'cause it keeps me from being bored. It's a lot easier with all my ideas down on a story plot. Yayness. Anyways, read and enjoy. Please review too.  
Thank you **Zarya** for Fallen's FIRST review! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you SO MUCH!

* * *

_Fallen_

Two long days had slithered by after the funeral, each one unbearable. Namine's father had decided to take the week off, trying to rid of the extra stress of work. Both of them were terribly depressed, but Namine still felt the need to go to school to see her friends. They tried very hard to cheer her up, like bringing her favorite treats for her to lunch. Sadly, they had all noticed she had never touched her lunch or the treats both days. Suspicions that Namine was so disturbed that she wasn't eating began to rise among the gang. Now everyone was deeply worried.

&&&

People, who weren't in the cafeteria, were busy with a new sight in the school. An unknown figure followed the school's secretary, most likely being toured around the school.

He brushed his golden bangs out of his ocean blue eyes to get a better look at the classrooms that he would be assigned to. The tour was taking forever, and he really wanted to explore by himself. Maybe even find a familiar face that he knew was attending this school. Feeling eyes on him, he rubbed his checkered wristband nervously as he saw students gawk and begin to whisper to each other. Why were they all staring at him? Did he have something on his face? He laughed inwardly at the last thought. Thinking rationally, he remembered that he was a new student to the school. So, obviously, people would be curious about him.

The secretary stopped in front of a green locker, waiting for him to come to her. Locker 213. Just like all the other lockers in the hallway, his was missing a lock. He gave her a questioning glance.

"We don't have locks anymore. Students took too much time with the locker combinations, and many of them got in trouble for being late to class. The school is also trying to maintain somewhat of a 'trust' system with the students and their belongings" She commented dryly as she flick black hair over her shoulder. It did make sense. Except or the whole "trust system". Everyone knew students would eventually have their stuff stolen. "So, I'm heading back to the office. You can stroll around, but don't get into any trouble." He nodded quickly walking off in a different direction. Tomorrow would be his first day of school, and he wanted to know the school like the back of his hand. He smiled happily as he went off to tour the school again. On his own.

&&&

"Namine? Are you okay?"

Heading down the hall to art class, the exhausted blonde turned around to see Kairi coming up from behind. Catching up to Namine, Kairi latched onto her hind. Violet eyes filled with concern searched her sky blue ones.

"Namine, everyone is so worried. You're not looking so good and we've noticed you haven't been eating…" Kairi whispered as to not attract attention from other students passing by. A light pink tint appeared on Namine's very pale face. She felt a bit taken aback. Everyone was worried?

"It's really okay, Kairi. I'm just tired that's a—"Namine began before she felt a pain of exhaustion hit her full force. The tint immediately disappeared as she paled even more. Taking a step backwards while trying to get her sense back, she felt her hand slip through Kairi's clasp. Everything was happening so slowly. Her body kept leaning backwards, making her foot slip off the surface.

"NAMINE!!!"

Time flowed back to normal. She closed her eyes, preparing for the floor to send pain throughout her body. Instead her back was pressed up against something warm, unlike the hard ground. A strong force held her waist, as if trying to keep her safe. Her tired eyes fluttered open to see what or who had saved her. Surrounding voices were tuned out as she squinted against the lights. All she could see of the dark figure was luminescent blue eyes peering down at her.

_Who are you?_

_&&&_

He had reached the third floor after exploring the whole first and second. He was getting a bit bored now, but he was still committed to memorizing the school before tomorrow. Walking down the halls, he saw a mauve-haired girl whispering frantically to a blonde in the middle of the hallway. The blonde had her back turned to him, but he could see that she seemed a bit weak with her odd posture. The mauve-haired girl's eyes seemed fearful as she talked to her friend. Suddenly, something seemed off. The blonde kept moving backwards, almost as if she was falling.

….She was falling.

He dashed forward, hoping he would reach the girl on time. "NAMINE!!!" Her friend screamed as she watched 'Namine' heading towards the ground. He was so close...

Finally getting close enough, he slid onto his knees, barely catching the girl. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist instinctively as he felt her collide into him. Even though he was a bit winded, he looked down at the pale blonde, wondering if she was hurt. By the way he had caught her, she was propped up against is chest, breathing slowly with her hair spread out against him. She seemed fine enough, but worry crept into his eyes. As she slowly began to open her eyes, his heart skipped a beat as he stared down at her. Such a pretty shade of blue. She opened her mouth a bit and looked at him questionably before fainting into submission. He barely noticed the mauve haired girl was beside him, apparently scared for her best friend.

"Is she alright?" She questioned him softly.

"I think so…" He said as he scooped the girl into his arms. The girl was about to detest against him picking up her friend, but stopped when he asked, "Where's the nurses office?"

"T-This way…" She mumbled as she got up to lead him to the nurse. Along the way, they had collected many odd stares from the other students. They could hear the murmurs of 'Isn't that the new kid?' and 'What happened to Namine?' drifting from all sides of them. This wasn't how he expected the day to be going.

&&&

Finally showing the new student where the nurse's office was, they had settled Namine on one of the small brown beds. Along the way, Kairi had looked over the boy carrying her best friend. He had a slim figure, blond spiked hair, ocean blue eyes, but a bit short, guessing he was a little taller than Namine. His eyes were what caught her attention the most. They were so familiar…

Kairi and the student pulled up two chairs beside Namine's bed. A few moments of silence of followed while waiting for the nurse until Kairi thought of introducing herself.

"Um, my name is Kairi. And, this is Namine" She pointed to her friend, "Sorry about the…whole incident." She smiled sadly as she looked down at Namine.

"I'm Roxas. It's okay, I'm just glad she didn't get hurt." He began to look around the nurse's office. "Does the nurse always take so long to get in here? I'm new here so I wouldn't really know…"

Kairi's eyes brightened for an instant. "You're the new kid?" She looked up at him in shock while he looked back awkwardly. "Everyone has been talking about you! Rumors get around here fast. We've never had a new student come to the school in the middle of the year." He seemed amazed that he was the talk of the school.

Hearing someone enter the room, the two teens turned to see the nurse walk up to them. Roxas rose from his seat to leave the room.

"I better go home." Roxas waved at Kairi as he exited the office.

&&&

"Namine…"

Kairi's voice drifted to her ears. She barely had any strength to open her eyes. All she could do was listen to her friend's voice as she was secluded in her own darkness.

"…You shouldn't hurt yourself, Nami. You're mother wouldn't want to see you suffer…" She felt a wet tear drop onto her wrist. Kairi is…crying? Opening her eyes, Namine could see Kairi wipe away a tear and she beamed at her. "Nami! You're awake!" Kairi quickly engulfed Namine in a hug as she struggled to sit up.

"W-What happened" She could tell she was in the nurse's office.

"You fainted which scared me half to death! Don't ever do that again, Namine!" Kairi gave her a stern look that softened a bit, "At least that that new kid saved you from getting hurt!"

"The 'new kid'? Do you mean the new student?" Namine was shocked from the information.

"Yeah, carried you all the way down here. I think his name started with an R…" Kairi quickly gained a smirk, "You should've seen you two. He looked like a knight while carrying you while you were his damsel in distress!"

Namine's face flushed a deep red, her energy returning. "KAIRI!!! ...Geez, you sound so much like Selphie!"

Kairi grinned and offered her friend a hand, "Hehee, I guess I do. Come on. Let's go get something to eat."

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Mes: Yay! Finally done! Sorry if this chapter was all over the place. I wanted to get different character views. Please review! And no flames! -hides in cardboard box-  
Roxas: I finally made an appearance. -.- 


	4. New

Mes: Yo people! Back again. Anyways, I think I might have a little trouble with this chapter length-wise, but bear with me. Also, I've noticed some many errors that I've made over the story. With the help of a friend or two, I'll be editing grammar/spelling/overall mistakes once I finish writing the story, so you'll just have to deal with them for now. Sorry 'bout that. Remember, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything related.

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_Fallen_

Dressing in a periwinkle skirt and a baby blue blouse, Namine heard the call of her stomach as she tromped downstairs. She knew she couldn't ignore it today since she felt happier and with everyone so worried. Her father seemed very surprised as Namine feasted on an immense breakfast, after having a depressed fasting. He was still off from work so he helped her make her favorite sandwiches for lunch. As she waved her good-byes and left home, a light breeze played with her hair as the sun warmed her. Whistling merrily, she clutched her school bag and a light salmon colored sketchbook with creamy pages. Everything was turning out for the better. She wouldn't want to worry her mother with her sorrow.

&&&

After homeroom was dismissed, students groggily shuffled into their first class. Taking a seat beside Pence, Namine eyed a sleeping Sora in the corner as she set her stuff down. Having the Social Studies classroom for first block and homeroom allowed Sora the pleasure of a short nap before the lesson. Namine giggled as she watched him smile in his sleep and shift a bit.

"How long has he been there?" She asked as she looked back at Pence.

"Who knows. But, it sure does make a good yearbook picture" he chuckled as he pulled a black camera out of his red bag. Snapping a few pictures, he earned a stern look as the teacher entered the room. The chatter of the students died as everyone saw a blond boy follow the teacher to the front of the classroom. Sora still hadn't awoken from the lack of commotion.

"Class, I would like to introduce you to the new student. His name is Roxas Hikari and he has just moved into town. Please make him feel welcome. Anything else you would like to say, Roxas?" The teacher finished as he looked down at the teen.

Before Roxas could respond, Namine saw Sora immediately wake and quickly rose from his seat. His eyes were widened as he gawked and pointed at the new student. The new student's eyes widened with amazement. As if in slow motion, everyone watched as the brunette sped towards the blonde, his arms outstretched.

"ROXAS!!!!"

Time fast forward as Sora hurled himself at Roxas, sending both of them backwards to the floor. Roxas slammed against the wall, painfully hitting his head in the process while Sora was trying to squeeze the life out of him. Giggling pressed forward from the other students as the teacher stared down at the two boys in shock.

"I had no clue you were moving here!! Why didn't you tell me? Huh?!" Sora quickly started to question the blonde.

"...Sora…" Roxas mumbled as he winced in pain.

"Yeah?"

"Can you get off of me?"

"OH! Yeah! Sorry about that, Roxas." Sora grinned clumsily as stood up, holding out a hand for Roxas. With Sora's help, he got of off the floor while rubbing the sore spot on his head. The teacher cleared his throat to get the two's attention.

"And, you know each other…how?" asked the teacher as he raised an eyebrow. Turning to look at each other, then back to the teacher, Sora and Roxas gave wide grins.

"We're cousins." They both responded at once.

"They act more like twins..." Pence whispered as he leaned towards Namine from his desk.

"Well, since that seems to be the situation, Roxas, you can go sit next to Sora." The teacher responded as he pointed to the empty seat between Sora's desk and Namine's. Dragging Roxas to the back, Sora dropped onto his seat as he waved at Namine and Pence, noticing them for the first time.

"Roxas, these are my friends Pence and Namine" Sora pointed to each friend as Roxas sat down at his new desk. Namine blushed a bit as he gave her a small smile. So this was her savior. Roxas leaned sideways to wave at Pence, but instead got a bright flash in his face. Pence grinned and waved back after patting his black camera.

"Pence, how many times do I have to say it? No photos during class." The teacher grumbled as he turned around from the black board.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Pence beamed in embarrassment as a few other students sniggered at the teacher's comment.

&&&

"So why didn't you tell me you were moving here?" Sora pouted as he walked beside Roxas to the lunchroom.  
"I guess I just got too caught up with moving and saying good-bye to my friends…" Roxas said numbly. He had left his best friends, Axel and Demyx, when he had moved, which made him feel miserable thinking about them.

"Ohhh…" Sora took Roxas' coldness on the subject to back off. They had approached the lunch table and sat next to each other. Namine was currently too absorbed in a drawing in her sketch book to notice Roxas sitting in front of her. Kairi, who was sitting beside the artist, quickly greeted the two boys.

"Hi Sora! Nice to see you again Roxas!" She smiled.

Sora gave the girl a confused glance. "You met Roxas already?"

"Yup."

"And, you didn't tell me? He's my cousin, you know."

"Well, I didn't know he was your cousin at the time, and I didn't see you after school…" Kairi replied as she peered down at Namine's drawing while Sora crossed his arms and gave a childish pout. Making their way up the aisles, Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Selphie advanced towards the table, lunch trays in hand.

"Hey Roxas!" Pence waved as he sat down beside Sora to munch on an apple.

"So, you're the new kid, huh?" Hayner said, setting his tray down and stepping towards Roxas, who nodded his head at the question. Giving a friendly punch to the arm, Hayner smirked, "Welcome to the gang. I'm Hayner, and this is Olette and Selphie." He pointed to the two girls. Olette smiled sweetly and bowed her head as Selphie goggled at Roxas. "Seems like you already met the others." Hayner walked back to his seat and began to munch on a bag of chips. Taking his spot in front of Roxas, Selphie bounced forward, leaning a bit towards the blonde.

"So, you're Sora's cousin?" She smiled at him as she gave Sora a glance.

Again, as if on cue, the two boys turned to her direction, gave her a wide grin and replied together, "Yup!"

"OH! That was so cool!!!" She squealed as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Pence quickly took a snapshot of the moment, just before Selphie turned back to her seat. Kairi laughed lightly with Hayner and Olette, but noticed Namine was still immersed in her drawing. Tapping her best friend quickly on the shoulder, she giggled as Namine looked up in confusion from her daze.

"Namine, say hi to Roxas. I mean, he did save your butt yesterday." Kairi whispered to Namine with a wink. The blonde's face flushed a bit before slowly gazing at the boy across from her. His ocean eyes softened as he gave her a comforting smile.

"H-Hello Roxas" She stuttered, lowering her sky blue eyes from his gaze. She suddenly deeply embarrassed about facing the boy who had rescued her.

"Hi Namine... It's good to see you're feeling better."

* * *

Mes: AH! Hope this chapter came out okay and that no more bad mistakes popped up. Hope you enjoyed and, if you will, please review. 


	5. Drawing

Mes: I can already feel the writer's block seeping into my brain. Xx Not good. Anyways, hopefully I won't blank out on this chapter too much so that I can make it a decent amount. Uhhh…All I can say is read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

_Fallen_

Roxas seemed to fit in perfectly with the group. They had chatted away about the school and rumors, and often asked Roxas different things. Everyone had many questions for him, and he answered each and every one of them. Mostly it was about what classes he was in and which class block he had them. After listing off his schedule from a sheet and comparing with everyone, Namine noticed that they had next class together. Art. She smiled, knowing that she would get the chance to know him better and enjoy the time.

The bell quickly chimed as the students flooded the hallways again. Seeing Roxas waving at Sora before heading down the art hallway, she was amazed that he didn't ask his cousin for directions. Quickly slipping through a small crowd, she soundlessly tapped Roxas on the shoulder while clutching her sketch book and blue book bag.

Turning around, Roxas smiled as he saw the blonde, "Oh, hey Namine!"

Namine gave a small smile as she looked at her feet. "I thought we could walk to art since we both have it together…." Her voice wavered.

He grinned at her shy act, noticing a very slight pink tint on her face. "Yeah, okay. Let me just get my stuff" He replied as he pointed to a green locker. Rushing over,

Namine trailed behind him while he got his checkered messenger bag. Slamming the locker, he turned to see Namine's face oddly pale as she stared at his locker. He shifted to glance at the green locker. Was there something wrong with it? He followed her gaze to the small metallic numbers 213 that were etched into his locker. "Namine? What's wrong?" he asked as he looked back at her. She had a slightly horrified expression on her face, as if she was reliving a bad memory.

"I-It's nothing…" she gulped as she tugged on his arm to get away from the locker. She thought those numbers were never going to be important again, but she was wrong.

&&&

Entering the room, Namine noticed that a substitute teacher was present. Sitting at her regular seat, she watched as Roxas peered around the room until finally wandering over to the empty seat beside her. Pads of paper were at each large table for the students' disposal with colored pencil spread out in the center. Flipping open her sketch book to the drawing that had captivated her during lunch, she began to add more details. Her pencil slipped lightly over the drawing, creating new features to the amazing picture. The sketch focused on a woman's sleeping face while tulip petals and buds surrounded her like a frame. Namine carefully picked through the pile of colored pencils, choosing a peach and light yellow. All the while, Roxas watched as Namine colored the sketch lightly with her eyes fixated on it in concentration.

"Namine, you're a really good artist." Roxas commented as he watched the picture's process. Namine smiled, but still focused on her creation. "…Who are you drawing?"

The smile slowly faded into a frown. "She's….my mom."

"Really? I think she would really like to see this. I bet it looks exactly like her!"

"Roxas-…"

Roxas tilted his head with a questioning glance. "Yeah?"

"…My mother is gone" Namine whispered as she began to rub her eyes. Roxas was shocked as he stared to her, regretting that he had asked about the woman in the drawing.

"Namine, I-I'm sorry…I didn't know…" He murmured, placing a hand comforting hand on her shoulder. She stopped rubbing her eyes before slowly shutting her sketch book and putting the colored pencils back. She turned to Roxas, giving him a small smile.

"It's okay. She probably would've agreed too. She always loved my drawings." She hugged the sketch book, "She even got me this to draw in, and so she could look through them all."

"It sounds like she was a big fan." He replied with a grin as he pointed to the sketch book. "In the picture, she looked a lot like you."

Namine giggled, "Yeah, we got that a lot. I barely look like my father; all you can see is my mom in me." She closed her eyes, conjuring up old memories of her mother. "She was always so nice, cheerful, and humorous. My mom could make anyone laugh." She reopened the sketch book to the drawing, pointing at the tulips. "Peach colored tulips were her favorite. We have a big patch of them in our backyard."

"Your mom sounds like a wonderful person, Namine." Roxas grinned as the bell rang. They were both ushered out of the art room by the substitute for the next class to come in. Departing, Roxas quickly waved to Namine, walking the opposite way to his next class. Namine began to unknowingly smile to herself as she walked down the hall, holding her sketch book close to her.

&&&

"Dad! I'm home!" Namine shouted as she entered the house. Quickly dropping her book bag and slipping off her shoes, she made her way to the living room. "Dad?"

Her father was sleeping on the couch, his cheeks were tinted an odd pink. Two half full wine bottles sat ominously on the coffee table, a tipped over plastic glass sitting beside them. "…You were…drinking?" Namine gasped as she looked over the scene. She knew her father never drank a lot, but the two opened wine bottles proved evidence of being drunk from. "Dad, what are you doing?" She whispered to herself as she grabbed a nearby blanket to cover her father.  
She quietly walked upstairs, entering her room to flop down on her white bed. An uncomfortable feeling crept over her while she reflected on the scene in the living room. "…What's going to happen now?" She asked herself as she drifted into slumber.

* * *

Mes: DONE! I had a massive writer's block while writing this. Not a good sign. Hopefully it won't appear in later chapters. Sorry if there are any typos/errors, I'm really bad at catching these things. Anyways, I really appreciate reviews. Hint, hint. ;) 


	6. Rain

Mes: Yay! Chapter 6! I noticed that when I post the chapters up, they look a lot shorter than I expect. Is that a good thing or bad? Should I try writing more? (That might be a little difficult for me) Or maybe I should add more conversations…I have no clue. Anyways, tell me what you think. :D

* * *

_Fallen_

A few weeks had passed by, leading into another weekend with the gang, including Roxas, deciding to spend it together. They had planned to meet at a nearby park, and layout their day from there. All they wanted to do was get away from the stress of school and other problem. With everyone together, they went off around the park to do their own activities.

Sora and Kairi were on the swing set, merrily chatting and laughing at small jokes. Once and awhile Sora would get up to help push Kairi on the swing or hold her hand while he sat on his own. Selphie was occupying herself with the old wooden trampoline, jumping up and down while singing loudly to a tune. Hayner was playing basketball with Olette, occasionally showing her how to shoot from far away. Pence happily grinned from the sidelines, trying to catch amazing pictures, but sometimes joined their game. Roxas, deciding to bring his skateboard, was performing amazing tricks on the blacktop. Grinding his skateboard on a nearby bench, he became lifted in the air, doing a quick 360 effortlessly before he landed. All the while, Namine was mesmerized from afar as she sat on a low stone wall. Immediately taking the image in her mind, she opened her sketch book to furiously sketch out the scene before it faded from her. Coming from the trampoline, Selphie pranced over to her blonde friend.

"Namine, come jump with me! I'm going to try to get Olette to jump with us, too!" She giggled as she tugged at Namine's arm, swinging a very long red jump rope in her hand.

"Not now, Selphie. I'm trying to finish this drawing..." Namine mumbled in concentration, the picture growing with more detail by the second. Selphie blinked at the sketch before swiveling her head towards Roxas, who was performing more tricks in the air.

"Ohhhh…I see how it is. I'll just leave you and Roxas alone." She grinned slyly as she winked at Namine. The artist paused in confusion but gained a small blush in realization.

"Selphie!!!" Namine shouted in embarrassment, "It's not like that!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Selphie replied over her shoulder as she ran off to get Olette.

A few moments passed as Namine finished up with last details to the drawing. Speeding towards her, Roxas quickly got off his skateboard, letting it slowly stop in front of the stone wall. He walked over to Namine, quietly sitting beside her, leaning slightly to get a glimpse of her drawing. He saw few details before Namine swiftly hugged the sketch book against her, obscuring the sketch from his eyes.

"Oh! Hi Roxas!" She smiled with a slight tint to her cheeks.

"Hey Namine. What are you drawing?" He asked, poking the sketch book. He studied her shocked look before she reluctantly showed him the picture. His eyes widened as he looked down at the sketch. It was a picture of him, in the air, holding onto his skateboard as he was about to land.

"Namine, this is awesome!" he grinned as he raised the sketch book into the air.

"R-Really?" Namine asked with a little surprise in her voice.

"Yeah! You did a great job on it." He placed Namine's sketch book beside her. She squinted, feeling her face heat up as his hand went to ruffle her hair.

"Hey guys! Get over here!" Pence called over to them with the rest of their friends surrounding him. Roxas promptly grabbed his skateboard, holding out a hand to Namine to help her up. With his help, she was on her feet, walking beside him as they headed for the group.

"Roxas, I think you're really good at skateboarding" Namine rambled absentmindedly.

"Thanks Namine." He smiled, scratching the back of his head. "I think you're a great artist."

Arriving at the group, Pence cleared his throat, ready to tell his plan. "I think, we should all go get ice cream and head back to my house to hang out."

"Yay! Ice cream!" Selphie squealed as she hopped up and down.

"Sounds good. But, we all know how Selphie gets after eating a lot of sugar." Sora smirked, crossing his arms behind his head. Roxas tilted his head at the comment. He was the only one who wasn't familiar to Selphie with sugar…at least not yet.

"Hey!" Selphie pouted.

"I'm game." Hayner nodded, "Are you coming, Olette?" He looked over at the brunette.

"Of course!" She clapped her hands with a look of amusement.

"Ice cream sounds good." Namine smiled at the thought of a sugary treat.  
"Then it's decided! Let's go get some ice cream!" Kairi cheered as she grabbed Namine's wrist to lead her in the direction of the ice cream shop. Everyone else followed after, upbeat from Kairi's ambitiousness and the ice cream in mind.

&&&

Entering the small ice cream store, Roxas observed the many posted flavors on the large white board. Looking down the list, his eyes widened as he came to one flavor.

"Woah! They actually have it?!" Roxas gasped in surprise.

"Have what?" Sora asked as he stood beside the blonde.

"They have it! They have my old favorite ice cream!" Roxas grinned to himself. He headed over to the counter. "One sea-salt ice cream, please" Roxas told a girl employee.

The girl fetched the ice cream, smiling at Roxas, "We make this kind of flavor as ice cream bars, by the way." Paying for his ice cream, he walked back over to Sora as the gang moved forward to order their own.

"Huh…That looks different. I want to try!" Sora said as he leaned towards the ice cream. Before he could get a lick, Roxas pulled it away.

"Go get your own then." He grumbled, biting greedily at the ice cream.

"Awww, come on. I just wanna see if I like it. Anyways, it's not like it matters since we're cousins if I take a lick." Sora grinned mischievously as he stole a quick lick.

"Hey!" Roxas pouted, backing away from Sora. His cousin squinted in disgust.

"Eww, it's salty…" He began before he put back on a grin. "But…it's really sweet! I want some…" He replied as he walked off towards the counter. "Hey Kairi! Don't buy your ice cream yet! I want you to try mine!"

&&&

"Geez Pence, you stink at this game and yet it's yours…" Hayner grumbled as he sat beside Pence on the couch, his car in the lead.

"Well, it's not my fault you're really good at it…" Pence replied as his car struggled to get the lead in their race.

"It's just a game, you two. There's really no need for fighting." Olette sighed while watching the game.

"Whatever." Hayner huffed as he continued to stay in the lead.

They were all back at Pence's house after finishing their ice cream. While the trio played their video games, Kairi, Sora, and Selphie were going through Pence's collection of photos from past years. Thankfully Selphie's hyperness from the ice cream wore off by the time they got to Pence's house. Roxas was fiddling with his skateboard while Namine sat in a comfy chair while she day dreamed. She felt unusually tired after their adventures, and all she felt like doing was to close her eyes and take an undisturbed rest. What was keeping her from her nap was the empty feeling in her arms. Was she missing something? Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"My sketch book?...Where is it?!" She wailed as she jumped up from her chair. She hurriedly searched a nearby table, scattering the other objects about. Looking up from the photo album, Kairi watched her distressed friend.

"Namine, what's wrong?" She asked as she got up from the floor.  
"My sketch book! My sketch is gone! I can't find it anywhere!!" Namine cried out as she looked around the room. Roxas looked up from his skateboard, wondering what was wrong.

"Everyone, help! Namine lost her sketch book!" Kairi called out to the rest of her friends as she began to help search for Namine's precious possession. The gang stopped what they were doing and started to hunt down the sketch book. Everything was either upturned or looked over thoroughly. Finally, collapsing back in the comfy chair from the lack of her sketch book, Namine felt her sadness escaping.

"Th-That sketch book…my mom…she gave it to me. I can't lose it…I just can't!!" she wailed, picking up a pillow and burying her face in it.

"Namine, it's okay, I bet you just left it at the ice cream place. That girl working there is probably holding onto it for you." Olette said, trying to comfort her friend.

"Yeah, Nami. Let's head back home and stop at the ice cream place on the way." Kairi commented, helping a sniffling Namine from her seat.

"I'll come with you. I have to go home anyways." Sora said as he walked towards the door with the two girls. "Don't worry, Namine. Everything will be just fine."

After the three friends had left, Roxas, Hayner, Olette, and Selphie all headed on their way home after cleaning up Pence's house. Hopefully, the sketch book would be waiting at the ice cream store to be reclaimed by Namine.

&&&

Returning home, Namine had locked herself in her room, crying into her pillows. Kairi and Sora helped her search the store, but to no prevail. The sketch book that her mother gave her was gone and it was all due to her carelessness.

"Mom…forgive me…" She whispered to herself, letting tears stream down her cheeks.

&&&

Roxas was walking home alone, carrying his skateboard while staring into the now graying sky. After the incident, he was worried sick that Namine had found her sketch book. And, hoping desperately she wasn't blaming herself.

"Maybe…" He blinked, thinking back on the event at the park. He remembered that he had put the sketch book beside her, but then what? Didn't she pick it up? He stopped in his tracks, his head turning in the direction of the park. "Maybe I distracted her…" Suddenly, he was riding his skateboard at top speed towards the park. The sky had darkened even more, spreading a foreboding feeling through him. Light drops of water landed on his skin, letting him predict the rain would soon come.

He was on the black top now, searching for the stone wall that the sketch book was resting on. Seeing the salmon colored item, he quickly snatched it up. Now where was Namine's house? Sora had always rambled about Kairi's house being next to Namine's as they walked to school. Remembering where Kairi's house was from Sora pointing it out many times, he felt the more drops of water falling down on him.

"Crap…" He mumbled to himself. Thinking carefully, he took off his white jacket and wrapped it around the sketch book, hoping it would keep it from getting wet. He was now running towards Kairi's house, shivering in his black vest in the wind and rain. The water droplets had now accumulated into a downpour and he was using his skateboard to shield the sketch book against the rain.

Thoroughly tired, he was standing in front of Kairi's house. He knew Namine's house was beside Kairi's but now he had to guess. Picking the pale blue house, he ran underneath the gray porch, seeking shelter. He cautiously rang the door bell, hoping that it was her house. Sure, he was dripping wet from the rain, but he had a very good explanation.

&&&

"Namine. I think someone is here to see you." Her father's voice drifted through the door. Rubbing the tears from her eyes, she quietly left her room. Apparently, her father had left her to opening the door as he went to his room. Slowly opening the front door, she peeked around to see her friend.

"Roxas?" She gasped at his appearance. He was smiling at her even though he only wore his black vest and was completely drenched. His hair was plastered against his face while he held onto something wrapped in his white jacket. Unwrapping the item, he pulled out her slightly wet sketch book.

"I'm sorry, it got a little wet." He grinned as he placed the sketch book into her hands. She gazed down at the salmon cover, her hands shaking slightly. She slowly turned around and placed it on the floor, making sure she wouldn't step on it.

He tilted his head to get a better look at Namine when she suddenly spun around. Tears were rolling down her face as she wrapped her arms around him.

"T-Thank you….Roxas…" She sobbed into his shoulder.

"Namine…" He hugged her back. He knew he would be getting her wet, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do now was comfort his friend. Time stood still while he hugged Namine as she let her tears fall. She must've really loved that sketchbook…

"You're all wet…Do you need a ride home?" Namine asked, backing away while looking up at the sky. It was a complete downpour.

"Nah, a little water never hurt." He grinned at her. Picking up his skateboard, he waved to her as he walked towards the porch's steps.

"Wait!" Namine called out hurriedly before dashing back inside her house. When she returned, she handed him a black umbrella. "Remember to give it back to me Monday, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled, opening the umbrella before he walked out into the rain. Waving again, he took off on his skateboard towards his house.

Shutting the door, Namine picked up the sketch book and held it against her. Her clothes were slightly damp, but all she could feel was warmth.

* * *

Mes: WOOT! This chapter took me awhile. Was a bit busy. Sorry if the characters were a bit OOCness and if the skateboard trick description was messed up. For the ice cream part between Sora and Roxas, I HAD to put that in there. I just had to. :D Oh, and the wooden trampoline is from an old playground around here where I live. It's just this big piece of wood with a super huge spring underneath it. Much like a springboard, but a lot more fun. Anyways, review please. Hope this chapter didn't turned out as bad as I think it did. 


	7. Thoughts

Mes: Ack, vacation and I have no inspiration to write this chapter. My little cousins were keeping me busy. Hope you like.

* * *

_Fallen_

It was Sunday, the day after Roxas came to Namine's rescue. Sora had invited him to hang out at his house, saying something about "spending quality time with my cousin". Currently, Roxas was observing the brunette play a videogame, defeating black monsters with an odd sword. So much for quality time. He smiled to himself as he stared absentmindedly at the huge TV screen before him. The moment of Namine in his arms kept replaying in the back of his mind, and he was willing to watch. She was crying into his wet vest in sorrow and relief. Slowly, he had wrapped his arms around her, giving as much comfort to the girl as he could. It was a bitter sweet moment, and yet he felt content every time he reflected on the day before. While day-dreaming, he barely noticed that Sora had paused the game and was looking at him impatiently.

"Hey Roxas?"….No response. Looking into the blonde's dazed ocean eyes; Sora snapped his fingers to bring back the boy's attention. Still nothing. Becoming annoyed, Sora cleared his throat and quickly thought of a new plan.  
"Namine."  
Swiftly coming back to reality, Roxas glanced around the room to see Sora breath a sigh with an odd grin on his face.  
"Huh? What happened?" Roxas asked, taking another look around the living room.

"Ohhh, nothing." Sora's grin grew wider as he saw a tint of pink spread across his cousin's face, seemingly unnoticed. "Roxas, I think it's about time we had a talk…" He laid his black game controller on the floor, and hastily got up. Stepping on a green cushion, he dramatically pointed down at Roxas, who looked back at him with confusion.

"You like Namine!!!" Sora yelled out, making Roxas' face flush.

"WHAT?!"  
"You heard me," Sora smirked, wagging his finger in the process, "It's really obvious Roxas. Don't try to hide it."

"Namine is my friend, Sora. She's like a sister to me. I don't feel like that towards her…" Roxas trailed off, staring at the ground.

"See, you doubt yourself! I can't have my cousin dating my friend like that." The brunette grinned while he playfully punched his cousin. Roxas took a step back, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Even if I do like her, that doesn't mean she likes me…" He replied stubbornly as he kicked at a pillow. Sora stopped teasing and put on a thoughtful gaze as he crossed his arms. Flopping down on a nearby chair, Roxas let out a loud sigh as he leaned back while covering his face with his hand. Background music from the video game filled the room as the two teens became silent in deep thought.

"I got it!"

"Huh?" Roxas looked up in puzzlement at his cousin.

"I heard a rumor going around that Tidus is going to be having a house party during vacation. Obviously, Selphie is going to get an invite no matter what, and then if we don't get invited, we'll just go with her."

"Crash a party? Is there a point? This has nothing to do with Namine and me." Roxas was about to stop until he saw Sora's smirk. "-But! There really isn't anything going on between us."

"_Sure_. Anyways, this could be your chance to ask Namine out or something."

"Sora, I already explained that I don't feel like that towards Namine!!" Roxas shouted before hurling a pillow at Sora.

Sora laughed loudly as he dodged the pillow. "Okay, Roxas. You just keep saying that, but we both know that that's not true." He commented slyly before throwing a pillow in counterattack. A full force pillow fight ensued, barely destroying the television occupied with the paused game. The two boys were left on the floor, having a laughing fit over their little play fight. Even in small arguments, they could have the best of times.

&&&

_He was engulfed by darkness, with only three yellow stripes below him that glowed eerily, as if to light the way. Every sense of direction was lost. Only quiet sobs directed him to turn around. Standing before him and the middle stripe was a lonely figure, dressed in a simple white dress.  
"Namine…"_

_Turning to face him, Namine stared at Roxas with sky blue eyes, her blonde hair shifting into her face. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, disappearing into the darkness as they stepped forward, both meeting at the middle line. Grabbing his hand tightly, a look of urgency seeped into her saddened orbs. He felt a slight blush creeping onto his face, but he felt something different that he couldn't rightfully place. Namine was slowly edging closer to him, the distance between their faces diminishing. Her warm breath was on his face as she whispered something quietly to him._

_"I think I—_

_**ROXAS!!!**_

_Out of the corner of his eye, a bright light began to eat way at the darkness. It grew too quickly, swallowing up him and Namine. Her grip on his hands disappeared, as she sunk down into the light, vanishing from his eyesight. The yellow stripes below him began to twist oddly while they turned into a sickening red. Winding around him, they leered at him evilly._

_"Namine…what's happening to me?"_

He awoke from his sleep in a cold sweat, his fingers curling into his soft blanket. Shaking a little in shock, he peered around his dark room. Everything was perfectly normal, nothing out of place or unidentifiable.

"It was…just a dream." He gave a sarcastic smile as his clammy hand traveled to his forehead. "More like a horrible nightmare." Gazing over at his wooden desk, he watched as his aquatic lamp glowed over an open calendar. A week was circled in black maker, a hastily scribbled note written in one of the white blocks.

Vacation: Tidus' party.

He was still mulling over Sora's idea. An internal conflict filling his mind, probably resulting in his nightmare. One side of him was laughing over the whole concept of him being with Namine. Loudly, it kept telling him Namine was just like a little sister to him. Someone he should protect from all the evils in the world. Another voice contradicted it, but was noticeably quieter. _You can protect her even more if you were together, always by her side. Something so strong as--..._

* * *

Mes: Muhahaa, lol…yeah. Sorry this chapter is so short, but it's pretty much filler. Also, this chapter was mostly fnrwsdahoeiog. Yeah, that's right, try unscrambling that without an anagram solver. :D For a heads up in the next chapter, I'll be fast forwarding to the party because I'm too lazy to write more fillers. Unless reviewers so no, that is. Can't wait to write the next chapter, I'm going to put as much effort into it as I can! Please review! 


	8. Closet

Mes: Back again. Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, it's been really busy for my vaykay. I'm gunna put everything I got into this chapter cuz it's SUPER important. :D

* * *

:;Fallen;: 

"Kairi, are you sure it won't be crowded?" Namine asked worriedly as her friend rang the doorbell. It belonged to a monstrously, huge house which was currently blaring music into the streets. Vibrations from the music bounced off the girls, making them feel uncomfortable in the cold. Tidus sure lived rich.

"Of course, Nami. It's smaller than parties I've been to." Kairi gave the blonde a reassuring wink as she brushed off her short pink dress. Quickly, the white door swung open, blasting music in their faces as a brunette leaned against the door frame. "Sora!!" squealed Kairi as she almost tackled her boyfriend. Staring past the two, Namine gawked at the crowded room. She was scared to think of all the "other" parties Kairi had been to.

"Geez, Kairi, you almost made me fall over." Sora grinned as he hugged the girl. Peaking over Kairi's shoulder, he chuckled as he saw Namine shifting nervously. "Hey, Namine. Glad you finally decided to come."

"Yeah, well, Kairi had to drag me here after begging for a few hours." Namine replied as she crossed her arms, giving a shy pout.

"Well, he'll be really happy to see you tonight." Sora commented before dragging Kairi into the party.

"What? Wait, who-?" Namine was about to ask before she noticed they had vanished into the crowd. Shaking her head sadly, she stepped into the house, closing the door to the cool night air behind her.  
Her skin tingled with the warmth of the house as she covered her ears from the booming music. Did they all want to go deaf?! Walking from room to room, she frowned at all the unfamiliar people. There were students from all different grades from the high school, but she was no social butterfly. Where were her friends? Weren't they looking for her…? Breathing a heavy sigh, she collapsed into an empty chair. She knew she shouldn't have come, but of course she had to give into Kairi, Olette, and Selphie's insistent begging. "Now look where you are, Namine. All alone and slowly becoming deaf." She mumbled angrily to herself as she slipped off her azure sandals. Fingering the hem of her dress in frustration, she slowly looked up as someone stood in front of her.

"Namine?" Roxas' eyes widened as he inspected his friend. She was wearing a short white dress that fit her body perfectly. Bold, electric blue crosses ran along the edges of the dress, intertwined with the lace, and aligned with the straps while a large one occupied the top left of her chest. A matching hair clip sat in her blond hair, holding it a little away from her pale face.

_Simply stunning._

He blinked at her confused gaze. Oh, right. He mentally slapped himself for staring at Namine for so long. He grinned down at her, "You look so—" Out of nowhere, a strong force dragged him at his elbow swiftly into the masses. He watched helplessly as Namine became obscured from his vision by the many people. After being hauled away into a less crowded room, he turned to his capturer.

"—Amazing." He stated bluntly before delivering a quick blow to his friend's shoulder. "God, Hayner, you ruined my moment! So now, what-do-you-want?!"

"Hey, don't be so cruel. I was just rescuing you from looking like a dork as you stared at that wall." Hayner grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.

"You're an idiot, Hayner. Didn't you see Namine? She was sitting right in front of—"A flash went off in both their faces as they turned to see Pence grinning at them.

"Hey Pence! You're going to play the game, right?" Hayner turned away from Roxas to ask their friend.

"Huh? Oh, no way. I'm taking pictures of it so we have something to laugh at." Pence replied as he pointed to the camera.

"Geez, you're obsessed. Anyways, Roxas, are you coming?"

Roxas was slightly confused, "What game?"

"You don't know? Wow, Roxas you're totally out of the loop," Hayner began tugging Roxas into another room before gaining an evil smirk. "Or maybe you're too into Namine to really hear anything…"

"Shuddup."

&&&

"Wait…wasn't Roxas just standing…?" Namine asked herself as she pointed to the spot where once said blonde was standing. At the moment, she was totally bewildered and disoriented in the party. "Maybe I'm just imagining things…" She sighed to herself. Might as well get some punch…right?

_"Don't drink the punch, Namine."_

_"But, Dad, what if I get thirsty?"_

_"Then bring a bottle of water. Just never ever drink the punch at a crowded party."_

She assumed that he thought the punch would be spiked in a large party such as this. How ironic. He was the one who had become a heavy drinker lately. But, she did feel sorry for him. Her father had lost the love of his life and was still deeply depressed. But, the real question was, how was she fairing with her mother's death? She wasn't quite sure what to think. Namine sighed to herself as she entered a room with the fruity drink and salty snacks. This party was doing no good for her.

"Namine? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice called out behind her. Spinning around, she found Olette smiling beside her. "I thought you were supposed to be with Kairi." Olette commented quietly as she observed the room for their mauve-haired friend.

"No, Sora pulled her away and now I'm totally lost." Namine pouted as she grabbed a packet of pretzels.

"Oh…well I guess you haven't heard about the game then, have you?"

"What game?" she gave a baffled glance at the brunette.

"Well, we planned to play a spin the bottle game. I think it's something like 7 Minutes in Heaven, or something. All I know is that Sora and Kairi have been collecting people for the twisted game." Olette twirled a brown lock of hair between her fingers, "So, are you going to play?"

"…Why would I play? I'm not really into those kinds of games." Namine said as she lowered her eyes. Truthfully, she was scared of any kind of game that would have you locked inside a closet with someone you don't know. But, she would never tell anyone that.

"Oh, please play, Namine. It'll be fun, I promise." Olette smiled before taking the blonde's hand to lead her into another room. Although she was slightly unwilling to play the game, she really didn't want to be alone again. The two girls were winding through the many clusters of people that filled the rooms until they reached a closed door. Knocking three times, the two waited in silence.

"_Password?_" came a muffled voice.

"Keyblade." Olette smiled playfully at Namine as she spoke. What an odd password…

"Why so secretive?" Namine whispered.

"I don't know, I think it's because Sora's being himself." Just as Olette finished, the door swung open and both girls were quickly pulled into the room. Giving them a childish grin, Sora ignored the open door as he ushered the two to a small circle of people. "Ummm…Sora, shouldn't you close the door?" Olette asked warily.

"Nah, this is actually the coat room." A boy answered for their friend. Namine gave the room a swift glance before spotting Tidus who had just responded. Sitting on the floor, the group consisted of all her friends, Tidus, Wakka, Yuna, and a few other people she was unfamiliar with. Kairi quickly tugged her down to sit next to her as Selphie waved from across the circle.

"Well, since all the players are here—"Sora began before a flash went off in his face.

"Sorry 'bout that." Pence apologized for taking the picture, "I'll turn off the flash."

"It's okay, as I was saying, all the players are here," Sora grinned as he sat down beside Namine and waved at Kairi, "So, let's get this game going!"

"I got the bottle!" Selphie squealed as she placed the bottle in the middle. Before anyone could comment, she quickly spun the bottle so fast that it hurled itself at Hayner's shoe. "Hayner's first!!!" the girl happily clapped her hands.

"Ummm, Selphie, how about I start…" Sora suggested as he carefully pulled the bottle back to the middle. Again, the bottle was spun slowly revolving to a stop. Back at Sora. "Uhhhh….that's odd." Sora smiled as he scratched his head.

Smirking at him, Kairi handed him a black blindfold, "You know the rules, Sora." Sora looked slightly befuddled and worried as he stared at Kairi before Pence ushered him toward a closet. Everyone began to grin and gossip as their mauve-haired friend spun the bottle again. With everyone watching it carefully, the bottle gradually halted at Kairi, which made her grin victoriously. Selphie gave a quick whistle while others smiled to themselves. How rigged, but how perfect. Namine grinned with everyone else in the room as it quieted while Kairi entered the closet sneakily.

"Hey guys, let's make it 5 minutes. I want get a lot of pictures of this." Pence commented as he put his camera on a shelf. The group quickly nodded and mumbled as they chatted amongst themselves.

"So, this is what I've gotten myself into." Namine murmured to herself as she looked at all her friends. She'd rather not have to deal with being stuck in a closet especially with someone she didn't know…Hopefully she wouldn't be picked first so that she wouldn't be blindfolded. That would make things so much better. Of course, everyone was expecting SOMETHING to happen in the closet, and she didn't like disappointing people. Namine studied all her friends while she was thinking. They all looked so happy talking to each other. But, there was one exception. She could see Roxas sitting near the corner, his eyes glazed over dreamily as he stared at the light green ceiling. Maybe she did imagine him before.

Suddenly, a quiet girlish squeal came from the closet which made everyone shut up. More giggles could be heard, but were quickly quieted. In her opinion, it was oddly eerie. This didn't help with her nervous position. Getting up from his seat beside Hayner, Pence walked over to the door and knocked loudly.

"Okay guys! Five minutes are up!"

Kairi and Sora both stepped out of the closet, both having noticeable blushes and the blindfold sitting woefully on the ground. Pence took a quick picture of the blushing the couple before they returned to their spots. Again, the bottle was sent wheeling around in its spot. It seemed reluctant to land on their hyper friend, but ended up pointing to Selphie. Quickly, Selphie jumped up from her spot on the floor.

"Finally!" She squealed as she picked up the blindfold and rushed towards the closet. The room went silent with the exception of a few people chuckling nervously.

"Geez, I feel bad for whoever gets stuck with her…" Hayner commented, earning disapproving glares from Olette, Namine, and Kairi. With that said, Pence spun the bottle for the group while everyone stared anxiously at it. As if karma wanted to have its fun, the bottle stopped directly on Hayner. He stared at it in disbelief as the room began to fill with laughter. Giving a sideward glance towards Olette, he grumbled while he trudged warily to the closet.

Kairi leaned over towards Namine, "I wonder if Hayner is going to do anything…"

"I don't know, but I hope Olette is okay." Namine whispered back as she saw her friend looking sadly at the floor.

"Well, maybe they'll have—"Kairi was cut off as a loud shriek echoed from the closet. The doors swung open by a fuming Selphie as she stomped out of the room.

"Hayner! You really ruined my turn!!!" Selphie yelled as she went back to the party. Everyone shot angry glares at the boy as he slowly exited the closet.

"What did you do now, Hayner?" Roxas questioned, looking as if he just woke up from the all the shouting.

He shrugged, "I just took off her blindfold. That's it." There were some unsure mumbles from the group.

"Heh, I don't blame him." Pence mumbled as he stopped taking pictures.

The game continued smoothly for a few more rounds even with some awkward couplings. Again, the bottle was sent spinning around in place with Namine staring at it as if her life depended on it. So far, she had not been chosen, but she felt fear creep through her as the bottle was slowing down to a halt.

"Please, not me. Please, oh, please not me…" Namine mumbled to herself as she watched it gradually pass Kairi. It was going way too slow. "Please, not meee….!" Sora gave a loud wolf whistle while Kairi patted Namine on the back, grinning all the while. It seemed like a death sentence: the bottle picked her. Slowly but surely, she was walking to the closet, blindfold in hand. "Maybe…Maybe I'm just overreacting…" she muttered, trying to calm her nerves as she fumbled with the blindfold. Sitting on the dusty floor, she listened carefully to the doors being closed. "Just…overreacting…"

&&&

Most of the time, he had been staring at the ceiling, closing his eyes now and then to day dream a little. He had lost some sleep the night before, thinking about the conversation that he had with Sora a few weeks ago. _Was it that obvious that he liked Namine? Wait, that doesn't make sense. She's like a little sister, how could he like her? Maybe, she likes him back…? No, definitely not. Why would she like him, anyways? But, there's a chance that—_

Out of nowhere, a strong force shook his shoulders. Startled from his inward conversation, he glared up at Sora who was grinning down at him. Why was everyone staring at him?

"What do you wa—" Roxas grumbled before Sora put a hand over his mouth.

"Shhhh, we don't want Namine guessing." Sora whispered down to him with a smirk, "Atleast you could've tried to pay attention. It's your turn." Roxas, slowly gaining his senses, got up with help from his cousin. Roughly, before he could comment, he was shoved into the closet by Hayner.

"That idiot." Roxas inaudibly growled to himself as he sat down. Hopefully, he didn't accidentally kick Namine while he was shoved in here. Wait….Namine?! His mind did a double take as he searched the darkness for his friend. How did he end up in a closet with Namine?! For a closet, it was really roomy, but he did not see the girl among the boxes and hanging coats. On his hands and knees, he began to crawl around the dark blindly in his search. His hand slid along the wooden floor, feeling dust bunnies until his fingertips felt something warm. He knew he had found the girl, hearing a small squeak admit from the darkness. Gradually, his eyes adjusted to his hand, which had just touch Namine's knee, which he withdrew quickly. She was blindfolded, backed up against a corner of the closet, and…cowering?

_She's scared. Why would Kairi put Namine through this if she knew she would be scared? _Unknowingly, he had reached out for her hand and held it gently in his hand. He felt her flinch through his grip, but was happy that she had relaxed again. _Maybe, Kairi didn't know…_ Somehow, he had coaxed her from out of the corner and was pulling her slowly towards him. He was not in control of his actions, but he was hugging her. Again, his mind was sent reeling about Namine. _Did he really see her as more of a friend?_

Someone was hugging her, holding her close and letting fear slip away. She could feel her cheeks burning with a blush and was grateful that the lights were off. If only she could see the person who had made her feel safe. Wishing the blindfold would come off; she began to hug back as she concentrated to see past the cloth. Their embrace was warm and comforting, letting her mind go at ease. It felt like forever.

He doubted himself, going undecided between his feelings toward the girl in his arms. Blushing, he realized that she was not tense but instead hugging him. Time seemed to stop with his control. Leaning forward slightly, he kissed her forehead, feeling her stiffen once more. Cussing at himself for scaring her more, he was surprised to feel her ease up and hug him tighter. _Namine, do you know it's me?_

She needed to know who this person was. Now she was intent on noise, to her a whisper that might give their identity away. Straining her ears, she heard the person's low intake of breath, the others outside chattering away, and her racing heartbeat. But, there it was, no louder than a sigh. _"Namine…" _It was more like a passing thought that had reached out to her, sending her mind elsewhere.

He had given up on the command over his actions and was watching as if from the sidelines. _Was he really doing all this?_ Hesitantly, he was lifting her chin up so that they were face to face. He was narrowing the distance between them, and could feel her breath on his face. Suddenly, an ominous feeling ran through him as their lips were about to brush. There were muffled shouts coming from outside, and the closet was slowly opening. He hated himself for turning away from her, but he glared up through the light to the person who had disturbed them. Slowly, he moved away from Namine, hatred filled him as he saw a familiar face pause at the door.

"Errr, sorry. Did I ruin something?" asked Riku as he held the door open. Silently, Roxas walked past the silver haired boy, knocking his shoulder hard into the others. After returning to his seat, he glowered at Riku as he quickly found a black coat and left the room. Kairi quickly rushed over to the closet, helping a blindfolded Namine out from the darkness. Roxas stared at the ceiling as he did before; part of him hoping Namine to not know it was him that was with her.

Sora frowned at Roxas, "What happened?"

"…Nothing."

* * *

Mes: I don't actually think this chapter came out the way I wanted, but oh wells. It's good enough. Hope you enjoyed! For the next chapter to be posted, I require 5 reviews from people who haven't already reviewed. MUHAHAA! Hey, it's not that bad and I KNOW there's more than 8 people who actually read this. :P 


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